Facing Our Fears and Grief

What a way to start summer 2022! Adventure Camp with the confirmation youth and Latino Ministries Camp with the Spanish-speaking families of the Greater Milwaukee Synod and the South Central Synod all in the same week. In both activities it was my first participation with this type of ministry.

Adventure camp was a wonderful experience surrounded by many activities next to the wonderful natural resources that God has given us. I had the opportunity to live and interact with young people that I didn’t have the opportunity to connect with  during our confirmation classes. I was able to face my fear of heights during the rock climbing and zip line. If the confirmation students experiences were similar to mine, their parents will be happy to know that there was a lot of prayer at this church camp in those moments.

There was a lot of joy and a lot of energy, but my time at the lake and at the Kalahari were also filled with a lot of difficult moments and spiritual meditation. During the time at the lake my mind was thinking about my nephew Fabricio and wondering what he was feeling in those last moments of his life in the lake at Adventure Camp. Seeing the young people enjoying the Lily Pad that Pastor Tony and Pastor Chris rented and watching everyone’s joy motivated me to join them. I tried to enjoy the moment, but at the same time I had my eyes on all of them, mainly the two young men from the Latino Ministry who did not know how to swim.

Entering the Kalahari was another big moment. The day the tragedy happened, my wife and daughters and I were at the Kalahari. We were in the lobby outside of the water park when we received the news of Fabricio’s death. I told my wife we would never step foot in the Kalahari again, yet here I was. Let me be honest. When we were about to enter the Kalahari the only thing I said was “God, please I don’t want to receive any more bad news in this place.” We had only been inside for 10 minutes when suddenly I saw three missed calls from my brother Carlos and three calls from my dad. My anxiety went through the roof for a few minutes. The wonderful thing was that the calls weren’t about bad news, just mundane ordinary things.

My first experience in the camp with the young people has been very helpful for me personally because it has allowed me to face fear and uncertainty in those moments and places where I have had only bad experiences. It is difficult to face those bad memories, but it is important that we remember that the only way to get out of that cycle of fear is to walk through it. This is how we become more resilient people, facing difficult and even frightening situations. When we are walking through those moments of fear and grief, we do not walk alone. God walks alongside us.

Another activity in June was the family gathering held by all the Latino ministries of the Milwaukee Synod and the South Central Synod of Wisconsin. We had the presence of five Latino congregations. Families had the opportunity to meet and interact with other ministries in the area. They are even asking us when we will have our next family retreat. This retreat had been planned since 2019, but over the years it had been cancelled over and over again due to covid. The fact that families are asking for a family retreat in 2023 is a sign that there is a desire for interaction with other ministries. We will continue working so that our Latino ministry has more interaction activities within our Church and outside of it.

May you feel the presence of the Holy Spirit walking alongside you as you face your fears and moments of sadness. And may those moments be few and far between.

Edwin Aparicio, Spanish Language Minister

Family Fun Night July 8

The Latino Ministry teens and young adults invite you to join them for a night of food and fun on Friday, July 8. A food truck will be available at 6 p.m. with games and activities to follow from 6:30-8:30 p.m. This event will build community between our Spanish- and English-speaking members and friends and will give our young people a chance to develop leadership skills. Sign-up online to donate food or share your games.

A Time for Rest

My third year in seminary is over! I didn’t quit yet! When I started my first semester in 2019, I had the opportunity to talk to many students from different years. Some of them were in their third and fourth year, when I listened to them the only thing that came to mind was, when will I be in that place? Will I hold on to be there or will I throw in the towel? The surprising thing is that it’s been six semesters and I still have the towel in my hands.

It seems unbelievable, but I am just two semesters away from completing a journey full of much learning, service and challenges for me and my family. While I wait to start my final year, I want to enjoy the summer. The time to kick back and enjoy the outdoors has come, but so has the time to get back to work on landscaping. I intend to work as a landscaper Thursday-Friday and maybe some Saturdays if necessary. Sunday – Wednesday I will work in the church.

I know that my responsibilities at church will also change as Pastor Chris goes on his sabbatical. I am both excited and nervous about the opportunity to take a bigger role in the English-language ministries at Ascension over the summer. Ironically, one of things I need to do in my final year is to take part in a seminary approved cross-cultural opportunity. If only they could see the cross-cultural work I do at Ascension every day! Latino ministries are a blend of Salvadoran, Mexican, Columbia, Venezuelan and Puerto Rican cultures. My internship and now Pastor Chris’ sabbatical is a whole new level of cross-cultural experience in ministry.    

This summer, I will also read some theology books and plan some bible studies for the Latino Ministry. I will try to do these things without drinking large quantities of coffee the way I do during the school year. I will also continue to plan activities for our Spanish-speaking youth.

When reading this article and seeing all of my summer plans, you are probably wondering where my rest will be? It will be a challenge, but it is important for me to make time to spend with my wife and with my family.

Rest is important for all of us, not just pastors and seminarians or teachers and students. May the Holy Spirt watch over all of us this summer and help each and everyone of you to find time to enjoy time with friends and family.

Let us try, then, to enter into that rest, so that no one falls into such an example of disobedience. (Hebrews 4.11)

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern

In Search of Sanctuary

As an immigrant learning English, the word sanctuary confused me at first. I saw it at church. I saw it when hiking. I saw it in news about immigration. What in the world was the meaning of this word that it was being used in such different settings? Now of course I know that it means a place of safety and protection from the dangers of the outside. And after everything we have been through in the past couple of years, we all need a sanctuary more than ever.

We were so excited to be back in our sanctuary for Holy Week for normal worship this year. Holy Week services in 2020 were all online and the alfombra was on my home driveway on a cold and rainy Good Friday. Last year we were at least back in person, but there was no singing and communion was at the door as everyone exited the building. We were making big plans. And then we received the exciting and disappointing news that the renovations of the Spanish Sanctuary were going to be taking place over Lent and Holy Week. We would be worshipping in the Hearth Room for the rest of Lent and possibly all of Holy Week. So our plans changed. We slashed the number of alfombras we were planning. We uninvited the guest musicians for Easter Sunday since it was unknown where Easter worship would be. If we were still in the Hearth Room, there would barely be room for the piano. There definitely wouldn’t be room for extra musicians.

When we first started down this road, we were so excited about the project that the disappointments weren’t that big of a deal. But by the time Palm Sunday arrived, it was our third week in the Hearth Room. The energy level of worship was lagging regardless of my energy level. We decided to avoid publicizing our Holy Week worship schedule because we were afraid if visitors came, they would never come back again.

But at the same time, as we were having our own little moment of feeling sorry for ourselves, there were stories of worship in bombed buildings and in subway stations in Ukraine. We were seeing stories of drought and locusts in Tanzania. Yet worship continued. Violence and the government reaction was taking over life in El Salvador, yet worship continued. The story of Jesus’s death and resurrection always overcomes the troubles of this world. If worship was continuing in these terrible circumstances, surely we can do Holy Week in the Hearth Room.

And then we had our own little miracle, and we were able to get into the sanctuary in time for Maundy Thursday. We had a place for the alfombra procession for Good Friday. It was still under construction, but we were energized. And in spite of our efforts to try and hide our worship schedule from visitors, we had over 20 visitors for Easter morning. We had to bring in extra chairs and run additional bulletins. It was a full worship service filled with singing and shouts of resurrection joy. ¡Él ha resucitado!

Edwin Aparicio, Pastoral Intern, Spanish-Language Minister

Learning Spanish

We have been having a good response from our simple Spanish learning lessons that are in the announcements. We believe it is part of our mission to have some basic words to communicate with our Spanish speaking brothers and sisters and to know basic worship words.

We will continue to add to the words and phrases and learn some simple songs each week. If you have questions about pronunciation or the meaning of a word or phrase, ask one of our Spanish speakers. You can then practice your emerging Spanish with them. You will see that not all the translations are word for word but more phrase by phrase or thought by thought.

To see a list of recent/ongoing translations, visit our website. https://tinyurl.com/ALCspanish

This is a great way to show support for our Spanish speaking members and to grow a little yourself with a minimum of work.

Latino Ministries Update

Our Spanish-speaking families are being impacted by the coronavirus pandemic just as our English-speaking families have been.

Most of the families have at least one family member that works in landscaping, so they just returned back to work after many months of unemployment. Most of the other employed members work in fast food, so they appreciate you continuing to visit drive-throughs since they have had their hours reduced. At the same time, they are worried about still working when much of the world is isolated for safety. Several of the families have six to eight people living in a two bedroom apartment, so they are very much looking forward to social isolation programs coming to an end.

Our Latino families are missing the feeling community at church and are especially saddened at the cancellation of Holy Week (Semana Santa) activities. In Spanish-speaking countries, this is the biggest holiday week of the year.

Edwin has been in frequent contact with the families, with regular phone calls. He has also been holding Sunday services and nearly daily devotions on Facebook. The primary goal has been to provide a moment of reflection, comfort, and worship for the Spanish-speaking members of Ascension. Pastors in many Spanish-speaking countries are not comfortable with social media, so these videos have filled a gap in many other countries as well.

(Reprinted from the April 2020 newsletter.)

Latino Ministry at Ascension

Who are the Latinos of Waukesha? Many people believe that nearly all Latinos in Waukesha are Mexican, except for the Salvadorans in the Latino ministry at Ascension. The Latino community in Waukesha is a diverse community with Spanish speakers from all over the Western hemisphere, with a wide variety of cultures and dialects. In the month of February alone, I have accompanied a family from Venezuela at their immigration hearing, met with a family from Ecuador that has begun to attend our tutoring program, and had a pastoral visit at the home of a young Puerto Rican woman suffering from cancer. In some of these situations, the people I have ministered to are fluent in English, but there is special comfort in praying in their first language in times of uncertainty, stress, and failing health.

I am receiving more calls and texts from Latino families in Waukesha that want to learn more about prayers, baptisms, and weddings at Ascension. Slowly the word is getting into the community that you can have your infant baptized without paying the $200 that some churches in Waukesha charge for baptism. Prayers are also free, not $50 a prayer. This year, we will have an Ash Wednesday service in Spanish and our first quinceañera service. It is a blessing for many Latino families to know they can have the same religious celebrations they remember from their Catholic youth without paying the high prices. They are grateful to have a new faith home.

Edwin Aparicio
(Reprinted from the March 2020 newsletter)

 

Latino Ministry Update

This fall, we celebrated our first Spanish language baptism in the barn at Green Meadows. In January, we had our first baptisms in the Spanish Sanctuary. It was a special event as I baptized two adults that I have known since they were teenagers in El Salvador.

The members of our Latino ministry have begun to feel that Ascension is their second home. They love the sense of community they feel here at church and are often the last to leave after worship on Sunday. In order to build on that feeling, we are going to start having a potluck lunch the last Sunday of the month. All are welcome to bring a dish to share and join us for fellowship.

We have had more Latino families with young children join our church, so we are exploring opportunities to add an adult education time to Sunday mornings while the children are at Sunday school.

Edwin Aparicio
Spanish Language Minister
(Reprinted from the February 2020 newsletter)